


Eschew the Chew

by Septic84



Series: PFF Bingo 2019 [3]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Blood, Bodily Fluids, F/M, Illnesses, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Mentions of Death, Public Sex, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 02:43:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic84/pseuds/Septic84
Summary: “It’s all over the BBC, Phil!” He said, pulling a travel bag out of the closet. “It’s like some virus,”I had now fully sat up, if Dan had not have been so scared, I would have laughed at how animated he was.  I grabbed my glasses and placed them on my face. “Virus?”“Yes, it’s making people cannibalistic.”





	Eschew the Chew

“Phil, wake the fuck up!” I jerked up fast, feeling my stomach lurch. 

“What the hell, Dan?” 

“We need to pack and go, now!” 

“Go where?” Dan wasn’t playing a joke on me; I could tell by his demeanor that he was scared. “Dan, calm down, what’s going on?” 

“It’s all over the BBC, Phil!” He said, pulling a travel bag out of the closet. “It’s like some virus,” 

I had now fully sat up, if Dan had not have been so scared, I would have laughed at how animated he was. I grabbed my glasses and placed them on my face. “Virus?” 

“Yes, it’s making people cannibalistic.” 

“Dan, are you intoxicated?” 

“Fuck off!” Dan was now shoving random pieces of clothing into the bag. “Just look at your fucking phone, okay?” 

So, I did, but nothing would load, not on Wifi, not on data. “there’s nothing Dan, I can’t get anything to load.” 

“Shit,” Dan said, “That means it’s getting worse.” I walked into the lounge where Dan had the TV on, we hardly watched anything on cable. 

“Started in the northern parts of Ireland and is spreading rapidly. Daily curfews and quarantine zones are now going into effect in all of Ireland and are expected to affect the UK later tomorrow.” 

“Holy shit,” I muttered. 

“You see!” Dan demanded, “What I believe to be one of or the last Plane to Florida is leaving in three hours and we need to be on it. It may be our only chance.” 

“Hold on,” I took a deep breath. “Dan, we are talking about leaving country. We are going to leave our families here?” 

Dan took a deep breath, “Phil, we are going to have to trust that they can take care of themselves.” 

I was stood frozen, I couldn’t move. 

“Phil!” Dan screamed, “I am not fucking kidding. We need to move!” I went back to our room, placing various things in my travel bag. How do you know what to pack for the apocalypse? After I had packed clothes, some irreplaceable keepsakes, and my pillow, I took another bag to the kitchen and filled it with nonperishable food items. That was smart right? If the disaster movies taught me anything, it was that food becomes scares quickly in these types of scenarios. 

Dan walked into the room, “Okay, I have packed everything in the bathroom.” He looked at me and nodded approvingly. “Oh, good idea. I hope they don’t limit our baggage.” 

Once we arrived at the airport it was sheer chaos; people were screaming, crying or just staring into nothing. “Dan,” I whispered, “What if we don’t get out?” 

“We will,” was all Dan said. He was surprisingly calm. We saw armed officials with medical staff examining people. They were making their way throughout the lines and were currently examining the family next to us. I started to panic. 

“Deep breaths, Phil. Don’t draw too much attention to us, okay?” 

“Right,” I said 

“Names?” 

“Daniel Howell,” 

“Phil Lester.” 

“Country and city of origin?” 

“United Kingdom, London.” 

“Both of you?” 

I nodded. 

After the doctor looked into both of our eyes, then mouths, he took each of our temperatures. “They’re good.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Since Dan and I were cleared to fly, one of the armed guards led us directly to the plane. There seemed to be limited staff and the normal “check your bags” policy seemed out the window. Dan and I had all of our bags with us in the cabin of the plane, on our legs. 

“See, we’re fine,” Dan said when we had gotten arranged. 

“Are we?” I asked, hesitantly. 

“Don’t Phil, not now,” Dan warned. Looking closer at him, I now noticed the fear on his face. I could tell he was doing everything in his power to keep moving forward, to keep going. I took his hand and squeezed it, not releasing it when I had finished. He gave me a tight-lipped smile. 

The plane took off a short time later; it was eerily quiet. There were no conversations and only the occasional wail from one of the two babies that were on board. Glancing around I noticed everyone either had blank stares or panic on their faces, there was no in-between. 

“Where are we going when we land?” 

“I have booked a hotel for at least a week in Orlando.” 

“Okay, then what?” 

“I don’t know Phil, I got us out. Right now, that’s all that matters.” 

“Thank you,” I stayed quiet for the rest of the flight. I wondered how many people in the UK had already been infected, how quickly it had spread and if it had reached London. I then wondered how much time we had running to Florida before it got there. 

The plane had touched down about 10:00 pm local time. At the Orlando airport, there were also many armed guards and more medical personnel at the gates, screening people before they were allowed to enter. We had passed again, but this exam was more in-depth. They asked about medical issues, medicines we were taking and the last time we had had a physical. They went through all of the bags of the passengers and gave them cards that showed they had been cleared medically and their bags had been searched. 

When we were in the hotel room Dan looked as if he were about to break. “I’m going to go take a shower,” he didn’t wait for my response, but I still muttered “Okay.” As soon as the water had been running for about 5 minutes, I heard Dan start to sob. I wanted nothing more to comfort him, but he clearly needed to be alone. Using the hotel phone, I called my parents and brother, leaving them messages in case they were able to get them. I hoped they were okay. When Dan came out he looked as if he hadn’t slept for days. 

“I called my parents and Martyn and left them messages in case they can get them at some point, you should do the same. I am going to shower now.” 

“Okay,” 

The bathroom was steamy and smelled like Dan, this brought me a little comfort. I wiped the fog off of the mirror and stared at my face. I didn’t look that bad, maybe a little tired. I turned on the shower and stood under the stream of water, watching it swirl down the drain. I wondered why I wasn’t crying now, why wasn’t I as upset as Dan? I didn’t feel much of anything and I figured I must have been in shock. I washed and got out feeling like I was in slow motion; as if time had been thickened by honey and I couldn't move properly. 

When I went back out to Dan, he had the news on. As he predicted, all flights out of Ireland and the UK had been grounded. Also, the same had happened in The Netherlands, Belgium, and France; no planes were allowed in or out. The number of infected people had grown increasingly, hour by hour. The news was repeating clips of people that were caught on security cameras who were infected. Some were just aimlessly walking, staring blankly ahead. Others were violent, going after and attacking anyone who was not behaving as they were. It was horrific to watch, I was numb. 

“They are literally fucking Zombies,” Dan breathed out. 

I did not have the words to respond to that. I sat next to him watching video after video of the same scene. The further advanced the virus progressed, the more violent and dangerous they became. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought we were watching a movie, but this was real life. Dan silently grasped my hand as we watched what appeared to be the fall and demise of humanity. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked, surprising me. 

“Are you being serious right now?” I asked, motioning to the TV. 

“I,” I watched his head fall in dismay. “I don’t know what to do, Phil. I don’t think we are ever going back to London.” 

“You don’t know that,” I said, indignantly. 

“Phil,” He said softly, “Look at them. Even if they can cure these people, they are destroying everything. Without humans, healthy working humans, the city will collapse.” 

“So, what are we going to do then, Dan? Live here? Look for a house? Do we go elsewhere? What do we do?” 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. 

“I don’t either.” 

“This is really happening isn’t it?” 

“Yes. It is.” He yawned. 

“We should sleep, it’s not like staying awake is going to help us right now, watching this over and over won’t either.” I turned off the TV. 

“I don’t know if I can sleep,” 

“Then we should lay down and at least rest.” We both got settled and started by laying far away from each other, but gradually Dan was inching closer to me. I pulled him onto my chest, kissing the top of his head. “Rest, love.” 

“Phil, I’m scared.” 

“I know. Rest.” After a while, Dan’s body stilled. Knowing he was asleep helped me to relax and with his breathing as my guide, I drifted off. 

We woke up around noon the next day, we didn't speak. We sat on separate beds, both trapped in our heads trying to process the unthinkable. 

“Should we turn on the TV?” I asked. 

“No,” He said, “Not just yet.” 

“Okay.” There was still Wifi in the hotel; Dan started one of his playlists and we sat together, listening to relaxing instrumental melodies that helped to somewhat put my mind at ease. 

“I'm not sure what I am allowed to say,” 

“Well, talk to me about anything other than what’s going on.” 

“Ah,” I came up with nothing. 

“Yeah, I know.” He said shaking his head. 

“I didn’t pack sun cream.” 

He smirked. “Lucky for you, I packed the bathroom and there was some in there.” 

"That is lucky for my translucent skin, thank you. We should eat something.” 

“Are you hungry?” 

“I don’t feel hungry, but I am sure I am.” 

We decided to walk down to a nearby café, not going too far from the hotel. As we picked at our sandwiches, I started to watch and listen to the other patrons. 

“It’s spread into Spain already,” someone said. “It’s spreading so fast and no one knows how to stop it. I am afraid it’s only a matter of time before,” 

“Phil, don’t eavesdrop,” Dan looked at me. “Hey, we should go swimming.” 

“You want to go to the beach?” 

“Yeah, why not?” He opened his backpack, showing me the towels and sun cream. 

“Okay, yeah.” I smiled at Dan as we left money at the table. On our way out I overheard the same person say. “We are all screwed.” I couldn’t help but agree with them. It seemed to be the end of the world. 

On the beach Dan and I were sat on our towels, watching the waves. I had to admit, it was easy to get lost in them and forget why we were actually here. I wondered how many more moments like this I would have with Dan. Would this be the last? I looked at the way the sun was hitting his face, he was truly beautiful. 

“Let’s swim.” 

I smiled at him, “Yes, let’s.” I wanted to make sure whatever time we did have left was spent doing things that made us happy. As we made our way out into deeper waters, Dan came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He started to kiss my neck. It was so public; it wasn’t something I was used to. 

“The ocean and the sun make your skin glisten a lovely shade.” He murmured against my neck. He continued to kiss my neck, softly starting to suck at the flesh. “So, you wanna?” he whispered as he trailed his hand down my side. 

“Here?” I whispered harshly, “Dan, the world is ending and it’s three pm, we are at a public beach .” 

“I know, but no one can see us.” I was hesitant, but remembering my earlier vow to make sure the time we had left was memorable, I agreed. So that is how at three pm, in the ocean during the apocalypse Dan and I were having sex. “I love you so much, Phil.” 

“I love you too, Dan. You mean so much to me.” 

“Please don’t stop, I am so close,” 

“Me too,” I moaned. When I felt a breeze I noticed that somehow, we were not in deep water anymore, not at all. The water was brushing against us about knee level. Anyone who looked our way would be able to tell what we were doing and could see all of Dan. “Dan,” I slowed down, “We’re in the shallow, people can see!” 

“Good,” He growled, "I want them to see.” My whole body shuddered, I was moving my hips faster, spilling inside of him. 

“Yes, Phil, I’m cuming.” Dan moaned low and quiet as he found his release. When he had stopped panting so heavily, I slowly moved us back to the deeper water. “Holy shit Phil, that was so hot.” 

“End of the world brings out your kinks, does it? I see you were already prepped.” 

“Well, It could be now or never so, a guy needs to plan ahead.” 

“And if it ends up on the internet?” 

“Well, then we will be giving them one hell of a finale, won’t we?” 

I laughed pulling him close to me, kissing his lips. He tasted of salt. Looking deeply into his eyes, I brushed a curl off of his forehead, suddenly his brow knit together. 

“Phil, promise me something?” 

“Anything.” 

“If I get infected, leave me.” 

“What?” 

"We both know it will be me that will get infected, of course, it will." 

"Dan," 

“Don’t stay with me and die. Please. 

“We’re not going to talk like this.” I said, “We are going to be fine.” 

“You can’t possibly know that, Phil.” He said softly. 

“I can and I do. I’m done swimming now; I need to shower.” With that, I started to make my way back to the shore. I refused to listen to that, I just couldn’t. With Dan in tow, we made our way back to the hotel. We did not speak, but Dan did bump his shoulder into mine. It was our silent signal that we were good. 

“We should turn the telly on now,” I said after we had both showered. “As awful as it is, we should know what’s going on.” 

Dan sighed, “At least we had a nice day.” Grabbing the remote, he turned on the news. It was worse than we could have thought. They now had blocked off most of western Europe. So many countries were infected now, it was only a matter of time before it made its way to America. 

“How does it spread? Where did it come from?” I asked, not expecting an answer. 

“I have no fucking clue, it seems to have started in Ireland, but who knows what started it.” Dan sighed. “We have to figure out what we are going to do, Phil.” 

“How? We are Youtubers, we make videos, what would it be? “How to survive Zombies” tag?” 

“Actually,”  
“DAN! I am being serious. 

“Jesus Phil, how should I know? It’s not like I have a contingency plan for the living dead, do I?" 

“Dan I’m,” A knock at the door cut me off midsentence. 

Dan looked at me and got up to answer it. “Tom?” 

“Oh, thank Christ, you’re still here. I’m glad to see you, mate.” He invited himself in. “Hey, Phil,” 

“Hi, Tom. Glad to see you’re okay.” I said, confused as to why he was here. 

“Well, I’m not sick physically, so there’s that.” He ran his hand through his hair. “A literal Zombie apocalypse, bloody hell.” 

“How are you here, Tom?” 

“I hoped that you both had gotten on one of the planes to Florida, I checked and you had. Then I tracked you here, was able to get your hotel information and here I am.” 

“Wait,” Dan said, “what do you mean you tracked us here?” 

“Well, I hacked into some systems, but yeah, I found you.” 

“How?” I asked. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, boys.” He said. 

“Right, so what’s the plan then, Tom?” 

“Go north, into the woods.” 

“Are you mad? Into the woods, he says. What do you know about the woods, Tom? You’ll get eaten by wild animals. What do you know about survival?” 

“You really think that I would be unarmed in a Zombie apocalypse?” 

“Okay, but why are you here? Why did you come to find us specifically?" 

Ah,” he rubbed his neck. “I figured you may need help.” He sat down. “I was already in the air when it crossed the border into the UK. I knew America would be the best bet. I lost my cell service, then I knew that it was bad. I am kind of a doomsday nerd, so I have planned for something like this." 

"You think you know a guy, "Tomska, Youtuber and a doomsday aficionado." Dan sighed. 

“You want us to go with you?” I questioned. 

“Staying here is a death sentence. “ 

“What are you on about?” 

“I am sure it’s here already, Phil. I am sure someone, perhaps even many people are infected.” 

“How? There are medical screenings.” 

“Yeah, but what are they even screening for? A fever? No one knows how this started. It is spreading too quickly to do any early-stage testing. They have no idea what it is. They can’t tell if a fever is even a symptom. How could they know?” He paused. “Look, lads, this thing is unpredictable and it’s quick. If you are in a city that is infected, the chances that you will get away unscathed are slim to none.” 

“How do we know you’re not infected, then?” Dan asked. 

“How do we know either of you isn’t infected?” 

I sighed. “We don’t.” 

“No, we don’t, however with how fast it develops, I think we would have been starting to feel off by now. Then again, I have no idea. Maybe it’s just poof, Zombie.” 

“Right, so what do we do?” 

“We head north,” He said. 

“How do you even know where to go? How familiar are you with America?” 

“Oh, I know enough.” 

“Where north?” 

“Just north, for now.” 

“This is all so fucked,” Dan said, looking at me. “What do we know about survival?” 

“Not much,” I admitted. 

“As I said, I thought you may need my help.” Tom looked at the TV. “We aren’t going home lads, soon there will be no home left.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“They are going to burn it, Dan.” 

“The entire country? What? Why?” I was confused. 

“Phil, they are trying to save humanity. They have already burned most of Ireland.” 

“Who is “they?” 

“I don’t know, citizens? Government? I don’t know. All I know is that it is what is in store for our homeland too. It’s been three days and it’s ramping up to take over all of Europe.” 

“Oh my god,” I muttered. 

“We want to survive, right?” 

Dan and I both nodded. 

“Good, pack your things, we need to get petrol for the car, supplies and we will leave.” 

“Right now?” 

“The longer we stay here, the less likely we will make it out alive.” 

“Wait, can you even drive in America?” I asked. 

“I’ll manage just fine." Dan and I exchanged looks. “Listen, it’s not like we are here to sightsee, we are running for our lives. I’ll be fine driving.” 

The Black SUV was packed to the gills with supplies. We were both nervous about Tom driving in America, let alone in a huge SUV, but we didn’t know what else to do. Tom seemed to have his wits about him and he had a plan, that was more than we had. Tom’s gun occupied the front seat as Dan and I sat in the next seats back. I figured that he probably had more than one, but I didn’t ask. As much as guns made me nervous, in the circumstance we were in, it seemed like a good idea that someone had them and knew how to shoot; at least if the movies were any indication. 

“I’ve got it mapped out; we will be sticking to the back roads to avoid the county border health checks.” 

“We aren’t sick though,” Dan said. 

“Mate, we are British, they will automatically assume that we are infected.” 

“I don’t know that that’s true,” I said. 

“It is. People are scared.” 

“That’s xenophobic,” I muttered 

“None of that matters, right now Phil. Even though the American media has given them a false sense of security by closing the borders, people are still fucking scared. How could they not be?” 

“So, do you know exactly where we are going yet?” Dan asked. 

“North,” 

“You keep saying that,” 

“You’ll know when we are there.” He looked at us in the rearview mirror, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” 

I felt Dan grasp my hand, it was the slight comfort that I needed to be able to fall asleep. I was awoken an unknown time later to hushed voices. 

“He’s very calm about this,” Dan said. 

“I think he’s in shock Dan, no offense intended, but Phil’s a pretty happy go lucky guy. Something like this must take a much larger toll on his mental state. We are darker, more cynical. I mean, how many times have you been in an apocalypse together?” 

“Fuck off, Tom.” 

“I’m just saying, give the man some credit. He seems to be holding his own.” 

“Right. Tom, I am still a little confused. Why did you look for us? Phil and I, I mean. You have been friends with us for years, but we have never really been good friends. I don’t mean to be rude and I am not ungrateful, I’m just wondering why you went to so much effort to find us.” 

His voice dropped low, “I didn’t want to be alone.” He paused a moment. “I tried to find the others, too you know. The “YouTube” gang.” 

“Well, who else did you find?” 

“No one.” He said, his voice thick with emotion. 

“Oh god.” 

“I think the Brighton crew made it out, but I can’t be sure. I really hope they did.” 

“Me too,” Dan said, somberly. 

About 20 minutes had passed, I still had my eyes closed. I hadn’t even thought about our other friends, they could be dead, infected or just as lost as we were before Tom found us. Just like my family, just like Dan's. I still really couldn’t muster any emotion about it, but I knew I would be shattered if my emotions ever returned. 

“We should stop and eat,” Tom said, breaking the quiet. “We’ll stop here, wake him up.” 

Dan slowly rubbed my shoulder, but I could tell he knew I was awake. I faked waking up.  
“Hm?” 

“Food time, Phily!” Tom said from the front seat. 

I sat up and stretched. “Is it safe to stop?” 

“We’re going to find out,” Tom responded, parking the SUV in front of the large windows. When we went in, he requested the table in front of those windows. Tom wanted to keep an eye on our lifeline, which currently was a vehicle full of our supplies. 

“Glad you fellas are here and not over there,” The waitress said thoughtlessly as she handed us menus. I somewhat agreed with her, but the uncertainty of the health and safety of my family and friends had me on edge. “So, what’ll ya have?” I pointed at some sandwich; I wasn’t very hungry anyway. I guess I had been lost in my thoughts because Dan was softly nudging me. 

“Food’s here.” 

I shrugged, looking down at the food as if it were the enemy. My stomach lurched. 

“You should try to eat something,” Dan said, softly. 

“I don’t know if I can,” 

Tom cocked his eyebrow at me, “You’re not feeling poorly, are you?” 

I was, a little, but I said. “Not Physically.” I figured the unease in my stomach was fear or emotion-related. Maybe even both. Also, some could be contributed to the fact that we had been riding in a car for so long. 

“You should try to eat,” Tom said, his voice harsher than before, almost as if I were to eat something it would prove to him that I wasn’t infected. 

“Tom, back off. Phil gets travel sick; we have been in a moving car for hours.” I was thankful for Dan. 

“Oh, right.” He looked at me. “Sorry.” 

“When are you going to sleep?” I asked I wanted to take the attention off of myself. 

“I don’t know, I don’t want to stop moving.” 

“You still need to sleep,” Dan said, taking a drink of his coffee. “We’re sticking to back roads still, right? Then I can drive while you sleep for a bit.” 

“Dan, are you sure?” 

He shrugged, “It can’t be that hard, just the other side of the street, right?” 

“Yeah, okay.” Tom conceded, “I could use a nap.” We had finished at the diner, after paying for our food and an uncomfortable and disgustingly wet handshake from the owner, we piled into the car. Dan and Tom had gotten out the door before me so they had avoided the grotesque gesture of appreciation. As I walked to them, I noticed my hand was stinging. I looked down to see a cut that the man’s sweaty palms had come into contact with; I cringed and desperately attempted to keep down the two bites of sandwich that I had taken. 

“You okay?” Dan asked. 

“Yeah,” I said wiping my hands on my pants. I didn't want to talk about it. 

Tom pulled into a petrol station and filled up; he also bought many food items and drinks. He waved his credit card at us. “Might as well max the bastard, they can’t expect me to pay the bill when the world’s ending, can they?” He winked; Dan rolled his eyes. Tom drove us to the back roads so Dan could take over. He turned on the radio. 

“Officials say outbreaks will be likely, but the CDC has assured AXI news that they will be able to maintain it, keeping casualty rates lower than other countries” 

Tom scoffed, “Oh yeah.” he said sarcastically. 

“Be as snarky as you want, but you had better hope they’re right,” Dan said. 

Tom had pulled over for Dan to drive; but not before a quick insisted lesson on how to shoot a gun. 

“Tom, I don’t want to know how to shoot a gun.” 

“Tough, you need to. If something happens to me, you need to know how to protect yourself. 

“I won’t shoot anyone, anyway.” He said, bitterly. 

“You would if it saved him.” Tom pointed in my direction. I saw the inner struggle happening, it was written all over Dan’s face. 

“Okay, show me.” He said, his voice wavering. 

I had stopped paying attention at this point. I couldn’t handle the thoughts that the conversation had spurred on. It was too much. Watching Dan have to choose to kill someone to save me was a daydream I didn't want to indulge. 

After about 20 minutes, they both got back into the SUV, and Dan started to drive. He surprisingly did pretty well. Tom and his gun (at least the one I knew of) were now in the back and I was next to Dan upfront. With Tom sleeping, I felt calmer. 

“How are you doing? Dan asked, quietly. 

“I’m not sure,” I was progressively starting to feel worse. I had a headache and was currently doing everything in my power not to vomit. Dan knew I was sure of it. I knew he hadn’t said anything because he didn’t want to draw too much attention to me; Tom was already suspicious. I wasn’t sure what lengths Tom would go to avoid infection. Even if I wasn’t infected, would Tom’s paranoia get the best of him? 

“I’m not sure we are doing the right thing,” Dan said. 

“I know, neither am I, but I don’t know what else to do.” 

“I know. 

It was starting to get dark and I could tell that Dan’s confidence in driving had drastically diminished. I saw a sign for a motel, lit up. “We should sleep,” I said, motioning to the sign. 

“I doubt Tom would approve,” He said, but he was already slowing down. 

“I don’t care,” I said looking at him. “Dan, I need to get out of this moving vehicle.” 

Dan nodded, took the exit and pulled into the “Lazy side Inn.” He left me in the car with a sleeping Tom while he got the rooms. 

“Wake up, Tom,” He said getting back into the car. 

“What?” 

"I have gotten us two rooms for the night. I need to sleep on an actual bed and Phil needs to be stationary for a while.” Tom sighed but didn’t protest. Dan handed him his room key as he unloaded our bags. He went directly to the shower as I sat on the bed observing our room. This was a questionable hotel, I was sure it was typically only used for one thing, but at least we weren't driving. 

“What are you thinking about?” he said, scrubbing his hair with a towel. 

“Nothing, really. I am just thankful to be still.” 

He kissed the top of my head, “Go shower, you’ll feel even better.” 

So, I did. The water felt fantastic and it was nice to change into clean clothes. When I came out, Dan had the Tv on. 

“In addition, to the closure of the US border, the military has amped up the efforts, putting in a nationwide curfew. No one is to be outside after 10:00 Pm in your respected time zone. Fighter jets and military-grade vehicles will now be on constant patrol. This will remain in effect for an undetermined amount of time.” 

“So, it starts,” 

“Yeah,” Dan said softly. “It appears so.” 

“I’m so,” I paused trying to find the words. 

“So,” Dan prompted. 

“I don’t even know, numb, I guess.” 

“I’m sure a lot of people have that reaction,” 

“I’m just having a hard time accepting this is reality.” I shook my head. “This is actually a Zombie apocalypse. I just don’t understand, how?” 

Dan threw his arm around me, “We should sleep, I’m sure Tom will have us up early.” 

“Probably,” I groaned. 

Dan looked at me intently. “I know car rides make you sick, but you seem unwell otherwise,” 

I looked at him, “I’m not sure.” I sighed. “Maybe you should just leave me here.” 

“Fuck off, Phil. I am not leaving you.”  
"How is this any different than what you asked me in the ocean, Dan?"  
"Goodnight, Phil." 

When I woke up the sunlight told me that it was probably late morning. Dan was still sleeping; I kissed his forehead softly so it didn’t wake him up. I looked out the window, everything seemed peaceful, calm, normal. If I didn’t know better, I would think we were on holiday and not running from a deadly virus. I guess we could look at it as a holiday, except we wouldn’t ever be going home. We didn't have a home left, from what we were told. My stomach felt better today and I was starting to feel hungry. I wondered if that was what happened in stressful situations; once you accept the chaos and fear, your emotional responses are muted and they stop having physical effects on you. I didn't know, but it seemed plausible. 

“What are you looking at,” Dan’s sleep voice was one of my favorite sounds, I smiled. 

“Birds, currently. I wonder if animals can be infected?” I asked, rhetorically. 

Dan grunted and stretched, untangling himself from the blankets. “How are you feeling?” 

“Better, hungry.” 

“Good, that’s good, Phil.” 

“Mm,” I hummed, noncommittedly. 

“We should eat, I’m surprised that Tom hasn’t been banging on our door for ages. What time is it?” 

I looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand, “11:30.” I frowned. “That’s a good point. Maybe we should check on him. 

Dan hung his head, “Yeah, maybe.” 

We got dressed and attempted to leave the room, but before we could I noticed an envelope on the floor. 

I picked it up, retrieving the letter inside and read it out loud. 

“I had to leave, I located some of the others. I have left you the car and half of the supplies, there are bullets and a gun in the glove box. DON’T GET RID OF IT. You need it and I want it back when we meet again. I left a map in the car, the route is highlighted and marked, I also made some marks for stopping places. We will all meet up at the circled area as soon as we can. Don’t waste too much time staying in one place. I have heard that it was confirmed to be in America now, so the further north we get as quickly as possible gives us the best chance. Be smart, don’t get caught up in things that don’t matter. God speed! (I’ve always wanted to write that in a letter.) -Tom” 

I stared at the note stunned, I wasn’t sure that Dan and I could do this on our own. 

“Well, I suppose we had better get moving then.” 

I looked up at him, “How are you so calm about all of this?” 

He shrugged, “This is pretty low shock value, all things considered.” He was calm, I was numb and I still couldn’t wrap my head around any of this. "We can eat in the car." 

“Dan, the gun,” 

“I can use it if I have to. Hopefully, It won’t come to that and I can give it back to Tom without shooting it.” 

“Right,” I wasn’t sure Dan would shoot anyone, even if it was to protect me. “So, I guess we are leaving?” 

“Yeah, I suppose.” 

Dan’s driving wasn’t good back home, so here it was even worse. Despite that, I was giving him credit for how well he was doing. He had managed not to get stopped by the authorities and we had not been in a collision. That’s all that mattered, I supposed. The map was leading us far north, to Thunder Bay Canada, so following the map, we drove. We had driven for most of the remaining daylight. It was starting to become dark. 

“We need petrol,” Dan said 

“I will look for a place,” 

“Great.” He rearranged. “I am so bloody bored. And sick of fucking driving.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“S’not your fault. I just am sick of this nightmare. No internet, no sofa crease, no Netflix. Tom is gone and we truly are on our own. We have no idea how to get anywhere without this map, which is just fragile paper that can be destroyed at any moment. It's pretty much our lifeline at this point. If we lose it, we are screwed. I am not sure why we split up. In every movie known to man, splitting up ends badly. Yet here we are.” He glanced at me, he was waiting for me to reply. 

“I’m not sure what to say,” I said honestly. 

“Then don’t say anything, much like you have been since this started,” he huffed. "I'll just be alone in this worry, I guess." 

“Dan,” 

“Don’t say you’re sorry again.” 

“Why are you mad at me?” 

“I’m not mad, not exactly, but you’re acting strange and I’m bloody scared, Phil.” 

“I’m,” 

“Don’t. Just don’t” 

We got petrol and drove for about another hour, tense silence as company. There was no light left in the sky now, it was fully dark. 

“I need to sleep," I could hear the fatigue in his voice. 

Holding the map close to the radio for light, I said “There’s a “rest stop” marked here." 

“What does that even mean?” 

“For lorries, I think.” 

“Right, just tell me where to turn.” 

We had parked in a quiet corner, under a tree, and dim amber light. The rear seats were folded down into a makeshift bed, I grabbed a bag that contained some of our food and set up two plates. 

“Snacks for dinner,” I said, smiling slightly in the overhead cab light. 

“No shit, Phil. You don’t see a diner, here do you? Don’t be stupid.” His voice was callous and mean. 

“Dan, can you please stop being rude to me?” I had finally broken. The tears I had questioned the existence of that first day in Florida were now flowing down my face. “I know you’re scared and I haven’t been that supportive, but now,” I stopped and looked at him. “You may be the only one I have left. My family may be dead. I can’t deal with your cruelness or attitude right now. I am sorry, whatever I did or didn’t do to you. I am sorry. Just, please.” 

“Phil,” Dan said softly, moving towards me, pulling me into a hug. “I’m sorry. I will do better. It’s not fair for me to expect you to process a certain way or in a certain amount of time. I’m just tired, yeah? I’ll do better. Once I sleep, it will be better. Please, don’t cry.” I sniffled, “Let’s eat, I’m sure we both could use some food.” 

We had eaten and were getting ready to lay down to sleep. Dan had the gun back with us, though I was sure he was somewhat scared of it. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it either, but I didn’t say anything. 

‘I love you, Phil,” 

“I love you too, Dan.” 

Unfamiliar voices woke me up, harsh hushed whispers seeped in through the doors. 

“Do you think anyone is in there?” 

“Maybe they are asleep?” 

“There isn’t anyone around, maybe we could,” 

“I don’t want to do this,” 

“Dan,” I whispered directly in his ear “Wake up.” 

“Wha,” I put my hand over his mouth, pointing to my ears indicating to him to listen. The dim amber light from outside gave just enough light for him to be able to see me. 

“We have to do this. We have to at least check.” 

“What if they are infected?” 

“We don’t even know if it’s occupied.” 

“It could be,” 

“I don’t think it’s spread this far north.” 

Dan reached for the gun and sat up, oh god. This was happening. He didn’t pick it up yet. 

“There is someone in here and we are very much awake.” He said, causing me to jump. 

“Oh shit,” the female voice hissed. 

“So, you’ll be on your way then,” Dan said with more confidence than I had ever heard him express. 

“Ah,” I heard more whispers, unable to make them out I strained harder with no luck. “Listen, we don’t mean any harm. We just need some supplies, we had to run,” 

“They were collecting sick people, we had to go.” 

“You’re sick?” I squeaked, fear in my voice. 

“We’re not sick at all and the one who is isn’t “Zombie” sick.” 

“Doesn’t matter, leave!” Dan yelled. 

“Please,” the female voice sounded desperate, “We just need a little food for my child so he can take his medicine. We don’t have any food right now, we are,” 

“Prove it!” Dan barked. I had never heard him speak in this tone. 

“What? How?” 

“I haven’t heard any children.” 

I heard a car door open and close, then a child whine. “Moses, wake up,” 

“Momma, I don’t wanna,” 

“I know, baby,” 

“There,” the male voice said. “So, you see, we need to help our child. We don’t want to hurt anyone.” 

“Dan,” I whispered, “The kid,” 

“Yeah, I know,” he closed his fingers around the gun, still not picking it up. “Okay, this is how this is going to work, I have a gun.” He took a deep breath. “If this is a trick, I would just leave right now. Think of the kid.” 

“We promise, just a little food and we will leave.” 

“Momma, I’m scared,” I heard the child start to cry. 

Dan’s hands were shaking so badly I doubted he could have opened the door, let alone pick up the gun. Without much thought, I picked it up, Dan looked at me confused. My hands held it steadily, I wasn’t sure how. “Phil,” Dan whispered, I shook my head 

“How can we be sure you’re not infected? 

“We have hand sanitizer!” the male exclaimed 

Dan scoffed. “I doubt that will combat becoming a Zombie,” 

“The alcohol sizzles on the skin of an infected,” the female said, “It’s been all over the news!” 

“What?” How could we know if that were true? We hadn’t paid any attention to the news lately. 

“Do we trust that?” Dan whispered. 

“I don’t know, how do we know how it spreads, is it through the air?” 

“No,” the male voice said, “direct contact with bodily fluids.” 

“We haven’t been keeping up with this as well as we should have been,” Dan said, shaking his head. 

“Fine,” I took a deep breath. "I have the gun, I am going to crack this window,” 

“Put your arms together and show us you aren’t infected.” Dan finished. 

We cracked the window and saw three arms and a hand applying the sanitizer, nothing happened. Dan opened the door and climbed out, I followed closely. 

“Thank you,” the woman said, relief flooding her face. I looked at the little boy, he looked sick. I frowned. Dan reached into the back and grabbed a bag of fully sealed food and water. He knelt to him, “Hello,” I heard him say in a tone of voice he saves solely for animals and children. I smiled. “Are you hungry?” The boy nodded. “Okay, here.” Dan handed him the bag as he retreated to his parents, stumbling slightly from the weight of it. 

“Thank you,” the man said. 

“You’re welcome,” Dan said. “So, they are rounding up sick people are they?” 

“Yes,” the woman said, “They think they are more susceptible, but it’s spread through bodily fluids, not the air. It’s ridiculous." 

“What are they doing with sick people?” I asked. Both of them remained silent. “Oh,” I said. If they couldn't answer, I knew it wasn't good. 

“You’re British?” The man said, panicked, suddenly noticing our accents. “Did you live here before, or did you flee?” 

“We just made it out,” 

“They say it started in Texas, a flight from Dublin. At least in the US” 

“We hadn’t heard,” Dan offered. 

“The updates we’ve heard is that they lit most of the Uk on fire and alcohol burns the skin of those infected in the stages where they don’t physically appear sick.” 

Suddenly, the woman dropped the bag and the man tossed the hand sanitizer to Dan. They just had realized they didn’t know if we were infected or not. “Your turn then,” He was nervous. Dan nodded and applied some to his arm and nothing happened. Relieved the woman picked up the bag. Dan handed it to me. My hands shook as I took the bottle, setting the gun down on the seat. 

“Phil?” Dan asked, his face dropping. 

“Yeah, Yeah.” I popped open the cap and drizzled a large glob on my arm, suddenly pain blossomed and I heard sizzling. 

“Holy shit,” the man said, ushering his family quickly to his car. “He didn’t touch the bag, did he?” 

“No, I didn’t,” I said sadly. They all slammed their doors and sped out of the parking lot. 

“Oh, Phil,” 

“Dan,” I said quietly. “I am not sure how I haven’t infected you.” 

“How did you get infected, Phil?” He asked, raking a hand through his curls. 

“Must have been the sweaty guy at the diner,” I said. “Dan, I’m going to turn into one of those things. I am going to die.” 

“You don’t know that, I bet the American government is trying to find a cure right now! You’re going to be fine Phil; it’s going to be fine.” 

“I don’t know how I am still me; I thought this thing moved fast.” 

“See? Maybe you are somehow immune to that part!” 

“Dan,” I said softly. “You know you have to leave me here.” 

“What? No Phil. No. We have to go to meet Tom and the others.” 

“Dan, I am going to become a Zombie.” 

“We don’t know that for sure!” He insisted, he was becoming hysterical. 

“Dan, please don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” 

“No, we will live here, in the car, until they come up with a cure!” 

“Remember Florida? You asked me not to stay and die with you. I am just asking you the same. How can I allow myself to even consider having you stay with me? How can you do this to me? I am going to infect you. You are going to die, because of me. You have to leave, now! Somehow you are not infected! You are going to survive. Go.” 

Suddenly Dan opened the front door, laid across the seats and got something out of the glove box and came back to me. “I'm sorry about this," He said, confusing me. 

“For what?” Suddenly, Dan, had me pinned to the rear seat; I saw he was holding something that glinted in the light. “What are you?” My words died in my throat as there was a sharp, burning pain in my arm. Dan then slit his palm open and pressed it into my cut, as hard as he could, causing both wounds to open further. 

“No, Dan, what are you doing! Stop!” 

"You have not infected me and you won't, Phil. I am infecting myself." 

I struggled against him, “Please, stop.” Tears welled up in my eyes. 

“Shut up, Phil.” He said softly, “You know, my whole family is probably dead too. I’m not fucking leaving you, Phil. I knew you wouldn’t accept that. Now we both are going to be infected.” 

I was crying at this point. “You are an idiot.” 

“I don’t see it that way.” 

“We are both going to die now, you realize that, right?” 

“Or become mad Zombies together,” He had removed his hand from my arm and grabbed a wad of napkins. He pressed some to the cut on my arm as he tried to control the bleeding in his palm. 

I moved my arm and held the pressure on my wound. “You could have gone to Tom, could have been happy. You didn’t have to become this,” 

He shrugged, “Can’t be bothered, I can't see a life where I am happy without you.” He grabbed my face and kissed me hard. “I love you.”  
“I love you too,” I said resolved. 

“So, what do you say, Phil? Want to be my Zombie boyfriend until the end?” 

“This is so stupid, you should have run from me. This is going to be hell.” 

“Nah,” he said kissing my cheek. “This will be the most fun I’ve ever had!”

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo Card:  
Zombies  
Exposure
> 
> I'm not that into Zombies, but I think this turned out okay :)  
Tumblr:  
Septic84


End file.
